[PATCH v2 7/7] perf stat: Improve handling of termination by signal

From: Ian Rogers

Date: Wed Dec 03 2025 - 16:47:28 EST


When interrupting perf stat in repeat mode with a signal the signal is
passed to the child process but the repeat doesn't terminate:
```
$ perf stat -v --null --repeat 10 sleep 1
Control descriptor is not initialized
[ perf stat: executing run #1 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #2 ... ]
^Csleep: Interrupt
[ perf stat: executing run #3 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #4 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #5 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #6 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #7 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #8 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #9 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #10 ... ]

Performance counter stats for 'sleep 1' (10 runs):

0.9500 +- 0.0512 seconds time elapsed ( +- 5.39% )

0.01user 0.02system 0:09.53elapsed 0%CPU (0avgtext+0avgdata 18940maxresident)k
29944inputs+0outputs (0major+2629minor)pagefaults 0swaps
```

Terminate the repeated run and give a reasonable exit value:
```
$ perf stat -v --null --repeat 10 sleep 1
Control descriptor is not initialized
[ perf stat: executing run #1 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #2 ... ]
[ perf stat: executing run #3 ... ]
^Csleep: Interrupt

Performance counter stats for 'sleep 1' (10 runs):

0.680 +- 0.321 seconds time elapsed ( +- 47.16% )

Command exited with non-zero status 130
0.00user 0.01system 0:02.05elapsed 0%CPU (0avgtext+0avgdata 70688maxresident)k
0inputs+0outputs (0major+5002minor)pagefaults 0swaps
```

Note, this also changes the exit value for non-repeat runs when
interrupted by a signal.

Reported-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/aS5wjmbAM9ka3M2g@xxxxxxxxx/
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/perf/builtin-stat.c | 21 ++++++++++++++++-----
1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index bd3c3de8d200..ab40d85fb125 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -1007,10 +1007,20 @@ static int __run_perf_stat(int argc, const char **argv, int run_idx)
goto err_out;
}

- if (WIFSIGNALED(status))
+ if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
+ /*
+ * We want to indicate failure to stop a repeat run,
+ * hence negative. We want the value to be the exit code
+ * of perf, which for termination by a signal is 128
+ * plus the signal number.
+ */
+ err = 0 - (128 + WTERMSIG(status));
psignal(WTERMSIG(status), argv[0]);
+ } else {
+ err = WEXITSTATUS(status);
+ }
} else {
- status = dispatch_events(forks, timeout, interval, &times);
+ err = dispatch_events(forks, timeout, interval, &times);
}

disable_counters();
@@ -1050,7 +1060,7 @@ static int __run_perf_stat(int argc, const char **argv, int run_idx)
if (!STAT_RECORD)
evlist__close(evsel_list);

- return WEXITSTATUS(status);
+ return err;

err_out:
if (forks)
@@ -2969,7 +2979,7 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
evlist__reset_prev_raw_counts(evsel_list);

status = run_perf_stat(argc, argv, run_idx);
- if (status == -1)
+ if (status < 0)
break;

if (forever && !interval) {
@@ -3039,5 +3049,6 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)

evlist__close_control(stat_config.ctl_fd, stat_config.ctl_fd_ack, &stat_config.ctl_fd_close);

- return status;
+ /* Only the low byte of status becomes the exit code. */
+ return abs(status);
}
--
2.52.0.177.g9f829587af-goog